Bend Teen Drowns In Rafting Accident

A 16-year-old girl drowned in a rafting accident on the North Umpqua River. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says Nichole Pomeroy of Bend became trapped in debris under water after a raft carrying seven people capsized.Everyone else in the raft made it to shore.

Sheriff's spokesman Dwes Hutson says the rafters wore life jackets, but Pomeroy's apparently came off in the water. The News-Review reports it was difficult for deputies and Douglas County firefighters to recover the body. They called a construction company for help, and a worker used a chain saw to cut through an underwater tree trunk. Weekly Construction will assist again Monday, using heavy equipment that will require shutting down at least one lane of Highway 138 East.